Here are the key points made in the document:
- The Second Great Awakening sparked religious revivalism and moral reform. Preachers like Charles Grandison Finney promoted the idea that humans could perfect society and spread Protestant middle-class values.
- Temperance societies pushed for prohibition of alcohol, believing it contributed to poverty, crime, and family breakdown. The Washingtonian movement and American Temperance Society were influential temperance organizations.
- Prison reformers like Dorothea Dix campaigned to improve inhumane conditions in prisons and asylums. She helped establish more hospitals and mental asylums.
- Education reformers pushed to establish free public school systems to educate all children, especially the poor. They